By Congressman Dave Camp (R-Michigan)

As Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, I have the great opportunity and responsibility of working to improve the Medicare program. While Medicare is generally for those over the age of 65, it plays a special role for those with kidney failure.

Understanding that treating kidney failure through dialysis was extremely expensive, Congress created the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Program within Medicare for anyone, regardless of age, who needed dialysis. This unique situation gives Medicare an important role in helping those who suffer from kidney failure to obtain and keep a kidney transplant.

Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have worked with my colleagues to support legislation that encourages organ donation and provides those who receive transplants with the necessary prescriptions to keep their organ. I believe organ donation is a noble cause, and one that should be celebrated and recognized.

I became active in this important issue when I found out a member of my staff donated a kidney to her sister. This act had a profound impact on me, and I began to work to raise the awareness for organ donation, while also improving dialysis services for those waiting for a life saving transplant.

In 1995, I was able to enact legislation that required the IRS to send cards asking individuals to become organ donors with tax refunds that year. The result: over 70 million organ donor cards were mailed out. Importantly, our efforts are working. In 2005, there were over 28,000 organ donors, nearly 50 percent more than there were in 1995.

Yet, there remain far too many people awaiting transplants. It is widely known that individuals can survive months, even years, before receiving a transplant, but they should not have to. Over 73,000 individuals are “in-line” for a kidney today.

I have introduced legislation (H.R. 1764) with the Chairman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, Pete Stark (D-CA), that would provide every organ and tissue donor with a medal to commemorate their unselfish act of donation. This bill is named after former Senate Majority Leader William Frist, who as a transplant surgeon, placed a great focus on improving access to organs. It is my belief that through recognizing those who donate organs and highlighting this act of compassion, we will again see significant reductions in the number of individuals waiting for transplants.

However, obtaining a transplant is only half the battle. For many, the cost of prescription drugs to keep a transplant organ viable can be prohibitive.
While Medicare provides coverage for those with ESRD, its 36 month limitation on immunosuppressive drugs is nothing more than a temporary hiatus from dialysis if it leads to rejection of the transplanted kidney. This is more than unwise; it is harmful to patients and a terrible misuse of taxpayer dollars.

To correct this faulty policy, I have introduced H.R. 3282, the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Patients Act. This legislation will lift the 36 month cap and help beneficiaries permanently keep their kidneys. I am hopeful we can enact this common-sense legislation this year. Not only will this bill help improve the lives of thousands of Americans, but it will also free up funding to help those who are still waiting for transplants.

But to focus solely on organ donation, transplants, and immunosuppressive drugs, is not seeing the whole picture. I am also working to ensure that we improve Medicare to stop the progression of kidney disease, not just treat it.

For far too many Americans, kidney disease is a preventable condition. High blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are just a few of the conditions that lead to kidney failure. I have authored legislation for the last several years that would improve the ESRD program to help individuals change their lifestyles to delay or even prevent the need to have dialysis. This legislation would also improve the actual process of dialysis as well. ESRD patients should feel confident every time they go to the center that they are getting the best possible care.

Finally, to ensure that all of these issues are not being overlooked, I joined with my colleagues Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) and William Lacy Clay (D-MO) to start the Organ and Tissue Donation Caucus. We will work in a bipartisan fashion to help all of our colleagues understand the importance of attracting more organ donors, and taking care of the patients who have received a transplant. Working together, I am certain we will increase the number of organ donors and improve the lives of those with transplants.

[Editor’s Note: Call 202-225-3121 and urge your Member of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 3282 to extend Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs and H.R. 1764, the Congressional Gift of Life Medal.]

Rep. Dave Camp is the ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee and the author of the bill to extend lifetime Medicare coverage for immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant recipients.

This article originally appeared in the January 2008 issue of aakpRENALIFE.

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